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Published: 2023-12-12 23:07:34 +0000 UTC; Views: 6306; Favourites: 124; Downloads: 0
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Description
Different species frequently engage with each other all the time, so it shouldn't be impossible to find similar behaviors in folklore. As far as I am concerned, there are officially three kinds of symbiotic relationships, and here are some examples I found between fantastical and non-fantastical creatures:Mutualism: A symbiotic relationship where both species benefit. Many cultures describe benevolent creatures who solely protect mankind from danger, and one of my favorite is the Baku of Japan. Bakus are chimeric creatures resembling bears with the trunk and tusks of an elephant, the eyes or ears of a rhino, the limbs of a tiger, and a bovine tail. Japanese art additionally shows them with the brows, mane, limb and tail tufts, and sometimes horn of a Koma Inu, as well as sometimes with leopard-like spots and a plethora of colors. They are revered as powerful holy forces of good whose image alone could drive away evil, though they are most famous for eating the bad dreams of people and changing them into good fortune. People get a good night's sleep and safety, while the Bakus get a good meal.
Commensalism: A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other receives nothing. Within Inuit stories from Alaska is a creature known traditionally as Aź-i-wû-gûm Ki-mukh’-ti, or 'Walrus Dog' in english. According to Edward William Nelson's 1902 The Eskimo about Bering Strait, they resemble large dogs, though their bodies are still smaller than a walrus, with long powerful tails and covered in black armored scales. Creations of the trickster Raven, their name comes from how they fiercely protect Walruses from danger, with a story recorded by Nelson of one attacking an Umiak and killing all those on board. There's nothing confirming why they protect walruses or for what purpose Raven created them, but Walruses in Alaska definitely benefit from their presence.
Parasitism: A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed. Within medieval bestiaries is a creature from Egypt known as the Hydrus, which has several different descriptions including a snake, otter, bird, and even a dragon. In any case, it was believed to be the arch enemy of crocodiles and would allow themselves to be swallowed by them, eating them from the inside out before eventually bursting from their stomachs. It is very similar, if not one int he same, to how the ancient Greeks described the Egyptian mongoose, which was believed to cover itself in several layers of dried mud before entering inside crocodiles and dragons. Here I made the Hydrus a parasitoid mustelid related to the Striped Polecat (Ictonyx striatus), one with several natural and magical adaptations that allow it to survive stomach acid and one of few creatures that could take down dragons.
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BluegirlWoomy [2023-12-14 18:04:44 +0000 UTC]
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